The Broken Prince
by wordonawing
Summary: The first Sigyn hears of her husband's injury is when Thor comes bursting into her chambers unannounced, babbling about Loki and Frost Giants and Come, please, come quickly Sigyn because he's hurt really badly and he won't open his eyes.


**A/N: Loki's kind of my fandom bicycle. This is a little oneshot I wrote last night in around ten minutes, so I apologise for any faults. Please read and review!**

The first Sigyn hears of her husband's injury is when Thor comes bursting into her chambers unannounced, babbling about Loki and Frost Giants and _come, please, come quickly Sigyn because he's hurt really badly and he won't open his eyes.  
_She immediately drops her embroidery work, the needle and thread clattering to the floor, and follows him out into the corridor.  
She is filled with a sort of mounting dread that gets stronger as she gets closer to him, but she shakes it off and asks, "What happened?"  
Thor rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, a gesture she recognises from when they were children. "He was fighting Laufey -"  
"He was what? Laufey? Thor! How could you let him do that? You know how powerful Laufey is - "  
"I was distracted, alright? I was already fighting two Jötunns, and Sif and the Warriors Three were surrounded by the others. I thought Loki would've been out of sight, you know, waiting to use his magic. But then - " Thor swallows thickly, and Sigyn realises that he is struggling not to cry. Despite all his bravado, he loves his little brother fiercely, and would do anything to protect him. He is most likely beating himself up for losing sight of Loki enough without her throwing her hat into the ring.  
"Then what?" She presses him gently.  
"The - the next thing I knew, I heard L-Loki s-screaming... Laufey w-was breaking his b-bones, one by one."

Sigyn looks at Thor, tears filling her eyes. How could Laufey do that? She knows he's a Frost Giant, of course he's a monster, but...  
She briskly wipes her cheeks and carries on walking towards the infirmary.  
When they arrive, Eir, the goddess of healing, is standing over one of the beds, accompanied by Frigga. Odin, Sif and the Warriors Three are standing a little way away, silently staring at the figure in the bed.  
Loki.  
Sigyn walks forward as if in a trance, like some magnetic force is pulling her towards her husband. She is dimly aware of the others parting for her, but all she can see is him.  
There are bandages all the way up his right arm to his shoulder, a splint keeping his forearm straight in its sling across his chest. His breathing is shallow, and his eyes are closed, his eyebrows knotted in pain. His face is bloody and battered, the harsh purple of the bruises standing out against his pale face.  
"Loki..." she breathes, and takes his left hand, wrapping it tightly in both of hers. "Is he going to be alright?" she asks Eir, without turning around.  
"It is...difficult to say, my lady. The damage to his arm is extensive - all of the fingers and most of the other bones are fractured. His right ankle is also badly broken. I can heal him, but he needs to be awake."  
"Why is he not awake now?"

Eir sighs. "We do not know, my lady. I think maybe Laufey struck him over the head and... damaged his mind."  
Sigyn tries to imagine Loki without his quick, clever brain, and finds it impossible.  
XXX  
Sigyn spends the following week in a chair next to Loki's bed, holding his hand and stroking his soft dark hair. She tells him everything she can think of, from her childhood memories to what she wants to call _their _children. Sometimes she even sings him songs, beautiful ballads in Old Norse that she knows he loves. But she only does that late at night, when even Eir has gone to bed.  
Frigga tries to persuade her to return to her chambers once the sun goes down, but she cannot stand to be away from him. And besides, he has nightmares, terrible ones that rip raw screams from his throat and set his hand shaking in her grasp. She cannot wake him, of course, but she tries to calm him down, smoothing away the tears and whispering soothingly in his ear. And then his breathing will slow and his hand will still, and his sleep will become peaceful once more.  
The chair is not comfortable, but she'll nod off anywhere if it means being close to him. She rests her head on his stomach, rising and falling with every breath he takes, and is lulled to sleep by the sound of his heart.

On the sixth night, she is woken by long fingers weaving into her curly hair. She quickly raises her head, and finds herself gazing into the loving green eyes of her husband. His face is shadowed by weariness, but still he smiles at her.  
She stares at him, speechless, before her own smile steals up on her lips and she says, "What took you so long?"  
He chuckles at that, and although the sound is weaker than normal, she is glad to hear it. "I was a little preoccupied." His voice is rough from pain and disuse, and she winces a little as he talks.  
He raises their linked hands to press a soft kiss to her knuckles. Now it is her turn to laugh and smile fondly at him.  
He holds out his good arm, indicating for her to join him. She willingly clambers into the bed, his arm wrapping around her and pulling her into his warm chest. She moulds her body to his, taking care not to jolt his broken bones as she buries her face in the crook of his neck and breathes in his comforting scent. He drops a kiss on the top of her head and nuzzles her hair.  
They stay like that, tangled up in each other, Loki whispering sweet nothings into his wife's ear, until they both drift slowly into sleep.  
XXX

"So what actually happened?" Sigyn asks Loki as they amble around the dusky gardens. He still can't walk very fast, and he has to lean on his staff (or sometimes Sigyn if he feels like it), but Eir says he's making good progress.  
He sighs and looks down at the ground before speaking. She is surprised; she hadn't really expected an answer. He never likes to admit when he's hurt.  
He starts slowly at first, and then it all comes pouring out like a river rushing down a hillside. "He... He took hold of my fingers and bent them backwards til they snapped. Then he twisted my arm behind my back so that broke too, and to cap it all he threw me on the ground and stamped on my foot."  
Sigyn looks up at his face, at a loss for words. How could one creature have done so much damage? How dare Laufey harm her husband?  
She is filled with a sort of fierce, protective love, and rolls up on her tiptoes to kiss him. He grunts softly in surprise, but reciprocates, his lips warm against hers. She wraps her arms around his neck and his slip to her slim waist, the staff lying forgotten on the grass.  
When they break apart, Loki leans his forehead against hers, both their eyes still closed. "I love you."  
"I love you too. I don't know what I'd have done if you...hadn't made it."  
He chuckles quietly, one hand reaching up to cradle her head. She leans into his touch, revelling in the feel of his fingers against her skin. "I'm not going anywhere."  
"And for that I am ever grateful."

His eyes flick open at the same time as hers, filled with his usual mischievous humour. "Now, if Princess Sigyn would be so kind as to accompany her husband, I think supper is ready."  
"She would be delighted. Shall we?" She offers him her hand, and he laughs because that's normally his job. He takes it anyway, intertwining his fingers with hers, just as their heart threads weave around each other in an endless, beautiful dance.

**A/N: Lol, crappy ending is crappy. Anyway, please drop me a review if you enjoyed it! :)**


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